China warns foreign govts against meeting Dalai Lama

September 15, 2009 17:39 IST

China cautioned foreign governments on Tuesday, against holding any meetings with the Dalai Lama saying it was "firmly opposed" to such acts, a day after US President Barack Obama's top aides met the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader in India.

"China's position on Tibet-related issues is very clear. We are firmly opposed to any foreign official meeting with the Dalai Lama," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told media-persons at a biweekly briefing."We are opposed to the Dalai Lama's engagement in separatist activities in any country," she said.

Beijing opposes any foreign forces making use of this issue "to interfere with China's internal affairs," Jiang saidwhen asked to comment on the meeting between three of Obama's top aides, including White House adviser Valerie Jarrett, with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala on Monday."The US side is very clear about China's position,"Jiang said.

During the two-hour-long meeting between the Dalai Lama and Obama's aides, the two sides discussed the best way the US could assist in the resolution of the Tibetan issue, particularly in the light of Obama's maiden visit to China in November, the official website of the Dalai Lama said. "She (Jarret) reiterated President Obama's commitment to support the Tibetan people in protecting their distinct religious, linguistic, and cultural heritage and securing respect for their human rights and civil liberties", it said.

During the talks at the Tibetan government-in-exile's headquarters at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district, the 73-year-old Nobel Laureate also updated Jarrett on the status of the dialogue process with the Chinese leadership, the Dalai's website said. China, which views the Dalai Lama a "splittist" despite his repeated calls for genuine autonomy rather than independence for Tibet, has stepped up pressure on world leaders, including Obama, not to meet him.